1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to containers for audio compact discs, CD-ROMs and other similarly-shaped articles having central holes, and more specifically to containers that secure the article therein and facilitate easy removal of the article therefrom.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the recent technological advances and the increased popularity and availability of disc-formatted information media, various devices for disc storage and protection have been developed. Folding containers fabricated of plastic, paper, or other materials have provided means to enclose the disc, thereby protecting it from damage and allowing it to be stored in an easily retrievable and secure fashion.
One type of container comprises flat, multifaceted sheets of material which are folded in an envelope-like configuration to store and protect the disc. Examples of this include U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,032 and British Patent Application No. 2,272,887 A. Another disc storage mechanism, illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,284,242 and 5,377,827, incorporates upper and lower components that are connected with a hinge along one side, which operates to open and close the disc container. Protrusions on the interior container surface, often in the form of a circular hub, comprise an anchoring means for insertion into the disc's central hole, affording a further way of securing the stored disc. Unfortunately, manual removal of the disc from the hub requires considerable effort on the part of the user, often making disc retrieval difficult. In addition, an excessively forceful manual extraction from the hub increases the risk of damage to the disc in the event it was accidentally dropped, deformed or otherwise mishandled. In these respects, the hub storage system is inadequate.
Attempts to alleviate these problems have resulted in improvements in the art of disc containers. While retaining the hub component, disc containers designed to avoid removal-related problems featured ways for the disc to be lifted from the hub and placed on its top surface. In this way, the disc would not require forceful extraction, making disc retrieval easier. One such container requires a user to rotate its top and bottom components to free the disc from the hub. While ideal, this container proved to be of more complicated operation, and was more expensive to manufacture than conventional hub-retaining disc containers.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,882 discloses a disc container with an extractor mechanism that employs a barb affixed to its top inside surface. When the container is opened, the barb engages the bottom surface of the disc, pulling it upward and removing it from the hub automatically, and ultimately placing the disc on the top surface of the hub. While this device affords disc removal from the hub upon opening the container, it does not fully avoid the problem of forceful removal, as the extractor barb would require significant force to pull the disc off of the hub. This exertion could lead to both breakage of the barb member and damage to the disc.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,480 discloses an attempt to alleviate this problem by introducing a disc container with a pivotally mounted member that extends from between the juncture of the base and the lid. The extended member offers a way to retain a disc in the container, and to automatically disengage a disc from contact with the base upon opening the container. However, the extended member incorporates a hub-like clasp on which the disc is pressed when stored in the container. While the extending member automatically lifts the disc off of the base upon opening the container, the clasp-retaining mechanism on the extended member requires the user to exert force in freeing the disc therefrom; thus, the device suffers the same shortcomings as the other prior art described above.
Other less related inventions and patents include the record container of U.S. Pat. No. 1,554,995, the CD packages of U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 360,360 and WIPO Patent No. 92/15505, and the folding device of German Patent No. 561,850.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.